Senior guard Rich McBride will miss the entire basketball preseason and four games of the regular season following a drunk-driving charge, the athletic department announced Monday.

McBride, who started all 33 games of the 2005-06 season, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence on Sept. 29.

Basketball head coach Bruce Weber said he waited until the University had completed its disciplinary procedure before determining the team’s sentence for its top returning starter.

“He’s got to stay straight right now and just take care of business,” Weber said. “That means school-wise, basketball-wise and everything else. You can only get in a hole so many times and still get out.”

McBride will miss this Friday’s Orange & Blue scrimmage and will sit out exhibition games against Lewis University and SIU-Edwardsville.

He will also miss the season opener against Austin Peay and home games against Jackson State, Georgia Southern and Florida A&M.;

McBride will, however, continue to practice with the team.

He will also attend counseling and complete community service.

“We’re going to not just worry about him as a basketball player, we’re going to try to worry about him as a person, too,” Weber said. “I’ve told him many times, yes I want him to play and help our team and that, but my main thing is for him to get a degree, have a decent job and hopefully a family in the future. That’s the most important thing. That’s what we try to promote as a staff, and if we can use basketball as a motivator, I think we’re doing some good.”

McBride apologized to his family, teammates and the community Monday, saying he felt the punishment was fair and that he understands he got himself into the situation.

He said he will continue to work as hard as possible in practice so that he can be prepared to come back and play against Savannah State on Nov. 21.

“I’m taking a lot of things from it, but most importantly I’m just trying to live and learn,” McBride said. “Trying to learn from this, make sure it never happens again, and to move on and just focus on the season.”

McBride was Illinois’ third-leading scorer in 2005-06, behind NBA draft picks James Augustine and Dee Brown.

He averaged 10 points per game last season.

“It’s a tough situation,” Weber said. “We’re going to have to do without him, then once you come back it still takes a while to get used to playing. He’s not going to have the intersquads and the exhibition games to kind of get his feet wet.”

Weber expects several players to pick up game time as a result of McBride’s suspension. He said Trent Meacham will likely see time at shooting guard and Rich Semrau could get in frequently in the preseason. Weber also said McBride’s suspension will require guard/forward Brian Randle to spend more time at the 3 position.

McBride missed the first four games of his freshman season in 2003, when he and former teammates Luther Head and Aaron Spears served four game suspensions for “violating team rules.” Those suspensions followed a burglary case in which the three athletes were implicated but never charged.

Head graduated in 2005 and now plays for the Houston Rockets. Spears left the University following the 2003-04 season.

“I know we went through this last time with those guys, it’s not an easy situation because you’ve got to get caught up and fit in with the group,” Weber said. “He’s got a tough task ahead of him, but hopefully he’ll accept what comes at him and make the most of it.”